Self-opening and self-closing umbrella

ABSTRACT

Self-opening and self-closing umbrella which has a hollow stick, a top hub member secured to the top of the stick to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs, a lower hub member slidably mounted on the stick, an intermediate hub member slidably mounted on the stick between the top hub member and the lower hub member, a plurality of auxiliary ribs each pivotally engaged at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to the intermediate portions of the main ribs, a plurality of stays each pivotally engaged at one end to the intermadiate portions of the main ribs together with the auxiliary ribs and at the other end to the lower hub member, a resilient engaging member having an engaging projection and a laterally-projecting stud integrally formed thereto for engaging the lower hub member upon closing of the umbrella, an operating lever movably inserted into the stick so that the top thereof projects when the umbrella is closed from the intermediate hub member, a coil spring disposed in the stick secured at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to a predetermined portion of an operating lever so that when the top of the operating lever is depressed into the stick, the lower end of the operating lever is removably engaged to the lower end of the stick wherein the length of the coil spring upon opening of the umbrella is equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella, and a plurality of springs each secured at one end to the pivotal points of the auxiliary ribs and stays and at the other end to the lower hub member for providing an opening force of the main ribs.

Unite States Patent 1 Yoshihara 1451 Sept. 4, 1973 SELF-OPENING AND SELF-CLOSING UMBRELLA [75] Inventor: Shinichiro Yoshihara, Omiya, Japan [73] Assignees: Moon Bat Kabushiki Kaisha,

Kyoto-City; Kabushiki Kaisha Takehara Seisakusho, Saitama Prefecture, Japan [22] Filed: Jan. 17, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 218,423

Primary Examiner-J. Karl Bell Attorney-George B. Oujevolk 57 ABSTRACT Self-opening and self-closing umbrella which has a hollow stick, a top hub member secured to the top of the stick to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs, a lower hub member slidably mounted on the stick, an intermediate hub member slidably mounted on the stick between the top hub member and the lower hub member, a plurality of auxiliary ribs each pivotally engaged at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to the intermediate portions of the main ribs, a plurality of stays each pivotally engaged at one end to the intermadiate portions of the main ribs together with the auxiliary ribs and at the other end to the lower hub member, a resilient engaging member having an engaging projection and a laterallyprojecting stud integrally formed thereto for engaging the lower hub member upon closing of the umbrella, an Operating lever movably inserted into the stick so that the top thereof projects when the umbrella is closed from the intermediate hub member, a coil spring disposed in the stick secured at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to a predetermined portion of an operating lever so that when the top of the operating lever is depressed into the stick, the lower end of the operating lever is removably engaged to the lower end of the stick wherein the length of the coil spring upon opening of the umbrella is equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella, and a plurality of springs: each secured at one end to the pivotal points of the auxiliary ribs and stays and at the other end to the lower hub member for providing an opening force of the main ribs.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures alvsslzsa PATENTED SEP 4 I975 MHZUFZ SELF-OPENING AND SELF-CLOSING UMBRELLA This invention relates to a self-opening and selfclosing umbrella, more particularly to an automatic umbrella which is easily opened and closed automatically by mere pusing action of a hand upon depressing the top of the umbrella stick in advance.

It is desirable to automatically open and close the umbrella by simply operating push buttons provided at the lower end of the umbrella stick.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved self-opening and self-closing umbrella which may automatically be opened and closed by a simple action only at the lower end of the umbrella stick upon depressing the top of the umbrella stick in advance.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a self-opening and self-closing umbrella which comprises a hollow stick, a top hub member secured to the top of said stick to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs, a lower hub member slidably mounted on said stick, an intermediate hub member slidably mounted on said stick between said top hub member and said lower hub member, a plurality of auxiliary ribs pivotally engaged at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to the interme diate portions of the respective main hubs, a plurality of each stays pivotally engaged at one end to the lower hub member, a resilient engaging member having an engaging projection and a laterally projecting stud integrally formed thereto for engaging the lower hub member upon closing of the umbrella, an operating lever movably inserted into the stick so that the top thereof projects when the umbrella is closed from the intermediate hub member, a coil spring disposed in said stick secured at one end to the intermediate hub member and at the other end to a predetermined portion of said operating lever so that when the top of said operating lever is depressed into the stick, the lower end of said operating lever is removably engaged to the lower end of the stick wherein the length of said coil spring upon opening of the umbrella is equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella, and a plurality of springs each secured at one end to the pivotal points of said auxiliary ribs and stays and at the other end to the lower hub member for providing an opening force of siad main ribs.

The other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view partly in section of one embodiment of the self-opening and self-closing umbrella constructed according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view partly in section of the umbrella in which the operating lever is depressed into the stick for providing the closing force of the main ribs;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view partly in section of the umbrella opened;

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of another embodiment of the umbrella constructed according to this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of a further embodiment of the umbrella.

Reference is now made to the drawings, particularly to FIGS. l to 3, which show one embodiment of the self-opening and self-closing umbrella constructed in accordance with this invention.

The self-opening and self-closing umbrella of this invention has a hollow stick 1 such as made of a pipe, a top hub member 3 secured to the top of the stick 1 to pivotally support a predetermined number of main ribs 2 at the pivotal points a, a lower hub member 5 slidably mounted on the stick 1, an intermediate hub member 4 slidably mounted on the stick 1 between the top hub member 3 and the lower hub member 5, a predeter mined number of auxiliary ribs 6 pivotally engaged at one end to the intermediate hub member 4 and at the other end to the intermediate portions of the main ribs 2 at the pivotal points b, or the free: ends of the auxiliary ribs 6 being pivotally connected to the pivotal points b, or the free ends of the auxiliary ribs 6 being pivotally connected to the pivotal point b of the central portion of the main ribs 2, respectively, a predetermined number of stays 7 pivotally engaged at one each end to the intermediate portions of the main ribs 2 at the pivotal points b together with the auxiliary ribs 6 and at the other each end to the lower hub member 5, or the free ends of the stays 7 being pivotally connected to the pivotal points b of the central portion of the main ribs 2, respectively, a predetermined number of springs 8 each secured at one end to the pivotal points 12 of the main ribs 2 and at the other each end to the lower hub member 5 for providing a closing force of the main ribs 2 as an energy source for automatically closing the opened umbrella.

.The auxiliary ribs 6 and the stays 7 may also be pivotally secured to the main ribs 2 at different pivotal points within the scope of this invention.

Further, at the lower portion of the stick 1 of the umbrella, a resilient engaging member 1 1 having an engaging projection 9 and a laterally-projecting stud l0 formed thereto for removably engaging the lower hub member 5 when the umbrella is closed is inserted into the stick 1 in such a manner that the engaging projection 9 of the engaging member 11 is projected through a hole 9' formed at the stick 1 and a hole 9" formed at the lower hub member 5 and the laterally projecting stud 10 thereof is projected through a hole 10' formed at the stick 1. The umbrella also has an operating lever 12 inserted into the stick 1, which lever 12 has a hollow rod 12 having a top 12, so formed that it is projected from the top hub member 3 when the umbrella is closed and it has a length that the lower end thereof may not reach the lower hub member 5 engaged as shown in FIG. 2 when the top 12, of the rod 12, is depressed into the stick 1 for providing an opening force of the umbrella, a long engaging lever 12,, connected at one end to the lower end of the operating lever 12 by a pin 13 and having a projection 12, formed at the lower end of the engaging lever 12;, and engaged with a slot 14 formed at the stick 1 when the top 12 of the operating lever 12 is depressed into the stick 1 so that the projection 12, is disposed lower than the lower hub member 5 in such a manner that the projection 12, is projected from the slot 14.

Then, the umbrella also has a coil spring 15 disposed in the stick 1 around the operating lever 12 secured at one end to the intermediate hub member 4 and at the other end to a predetermined portion 17 of the operating lever 12 in such a manner that the upper end 15' of the spring 15 is engaged with a longitudinal guide slot 16 formed through the upper portion of the stick 1 and the intermediate hub member 4 so that the intermediate hub member 4 may be slidable along the stick 1 wherein the length of the coil spring 15 upon opening of the umbrella as shown in FIG. 3 is equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella as shown in FIG. 1.

In operation of thus constructed umbrella, when the umbrella is closed as shown FIG. 1, if the projected top 12, of the operating lever 12 is depressed on the ground by a hand so as to insert the operating lever 12 into the stick 1 of the umbrella for providing the opening force of the umbrella, the projection 12, of the engaging lever 12,, is engaged with the slot 14. Then, if the laterally projecting stud 10 of the engaging member 11 for engaging the lower hub member is depressed by a tinger, the lower hub member 5 is released therefrom to become free state, and accordingly the intermediate hub member 4 slides downwardly by the resilient force of the coil spring 15 with the result that the auxiliary ribs 6 rise the main ribs 2 so as to open the umbrella at the same time the lower hub member 5 also moves upwardly resulting in opening the umbrella. The opened state of the umbrella is held at a predetermined position determined by the lengths of the auxiliary ribs 6 and stays 7 and the position of the pivotal points b, and in the case as shown in the drawings, the umbrella is so held that the upper end 15' of the coil spring 15 is engaged with the lower end 16' of the guide slot 16 so as to stop the intermediate hub member 4 and that the lower hub member 5 contacts the intermediate hub member 4.

When the umbrella is closing, if the projection 12, of the engaging lever 12, is depressed by a finger so as to release the projection 12, from the slot 14, since the coil spring 15 has residual energy for closing the umbrella which is longer than the length shown in FIG. 1, the operating lever 12 is urged upwardly thereby with the result that the projection 12 tends to be release from the slot 14, and when it is released therefrom; the main ribs 2 of the umbrella is closed by the resilient force of the tension of the cloth of the umbrella provided to the main ribs 2 and springs 8. As a result, the intermediated hub member 5 slides upwardly and the lower hub member 5 slides downwardly so that the top 12 of the operating lever 12 projects from the top of the stick 1, and the lower hub member 5 slides downwardly by the operation of the stays 7 and is engaged through the engaging member 11 with the hole of the stick 1 with the result that the umbrella is closed as shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 4, which shows another embodiment of the umbrella, the springs 8 may also be secured at one each end to the pivotal points b of the main ribs 2 and at the other each end to the intermediate hub member 4 for providing an opening force of the main ribs 2. Or, the springs 8 may be secured at the other end to any proper positions for providing an opening force of the main ribs 2.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which shows a further embodiment of the umbrella, the spring may be disposed in the operating lever 12 secured at one end to the intermediate hub member 4 and disposed at the other end into the top interior of the operating lever 12 in such a manner that the lower end 15 of the spring 15 is engaged with a longitudinal guide slot 16 formed through the upper portion of the stick 1 and the intermediate hub member 4 so that the intermediate hub member 4 may be slidably along the stick 1.

It should be understood from the foregoing described that since the umbrella of this invention has a hollow stick 1, a top hub member 3 secured to the top of the stick 1 to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs 2, a lower hub member 5 slidably mounted on stick 1 between the top hub member 3 and the lower hub member 5, a plurality of auxiliary ribs 6 pivotally engaged at one each end to the intermediate hub member 4 and at the other each end to the intermediate portion of the main ribs 2, a plurality of stays 7 pivotally engaged at one each end to the intermediate portions of the main ribs 2 together with the auxiliary ribs 6 and at the other each end to the lower hub member 5, a resilient engaging member 11 having an engaging projection 9 and a laterally projecting stud l0 integrally formed thereto for engaging the lower hub member 5 upon closing of the umbrella, an operating lever 12 movably inserted into the stick 1 so that the top l2 thereof is projected when the umbrella is closed from the intermediate hub member 4, a coil spring 15 disposed in the stick secured at one end to the intermediate hub member 4 and at the other end to a predetermined portion 17 of the operating lever 12 so that when the top of the operating lever 12 is depressed in the stick, the lower end of the operating lever 12 is removably engaged to the lower end of the stick 1 wherein the length of the coil spring 15 upon opening of the umbrella is equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella, and a plurality of springs 8 secured at one each end to the pivotal points b of the auxiliary ribs 6 and stays 7 and at the other each end to the lower hub member 5 for providing an opening force of the main ribs 2, if the top 12 of the operating lever 12 is merely depressed on the ground for providing an opening force of the umbrella as a preparing operation, the umbrella is automatically opened by the opening force merely by the operation of the finger and is also automatically closed by the simple pusing operation of the finger.

While the invention has been shown and described in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular embodiment and that many alternations and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-opening and self-closing umbrella comprising: a hollow stick (1) with a top portion for supporting an umbrella cover and a lower portion towards an umbrella handle, said lower portion having an aperture (10'); a top hub member (3), secured to the top of said stick to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs (2), a lower hub member (5), slidably mounted on said stick, an intermediate hub member slidably mounted on said stick between said top hub member (3) and said lower hub member (5); a plurality of auxiliary ribs (6) each pivotally engaged at one end to said intermediate hub member (4) and at the other end to the intermediate portions of said main ribs (2), a plurality of stays (7) each pivotally engaged at one end to said lower hub member (5) and at the other end to said auxiliary ribs (6) at pivotal points (b); a resilient engaging member (11) having an engaging projection and a laterally projecting integral stud (10) projecting from said aperture (10), for engaging the lower hub member upon closing of the umbrella; an operating lever (12) movably inserted into said stick (1) so that the top thereof projects from said top hub member when the umbrella is closed; a coil spring disposed in said stick secured at one end to said intermediate hub member (4), and at the other end to a predetermined portion of said operating lever (12) so that when the top of said operating lever 12) is depressed into said stick, the lower end of said operating lever (12) is removably engaged to the lower end of said stick the length of said coil spring upon opening of the umbrella being equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella and a pluterior of said operating lever. 

1. A self-opening and self-closing umbrella comprising: a hollow stick (1) with a top portion for supporting an umbrella cover and a lower portion towards an umbrella handle, said lower portion having an aperture (10''); a top hub member (3), secured to the top of said stick to pivotally support a plurality of main ribs (2), a lower hub member (5), slidably mounted on said stick, an intermediate hub member slidably mounted on said stick between said top hub member (3) and said lower hub member (5); a plurality of auxiliary ribs (6) each pivotally engaged at one end to said intermediate hub member (4) and at the other end to the intermediate portions of said main ribs (2), a plurality of stays (7) each pivotally engaged at one end to said lower hub member (5) and at the other end to said auxiliary ribs (6) at pivotal points (b); a resiLient engaging member (11) having an engaging projection and a laterally projecting integral stud (10) projecting from said aperture (10''), for engaging the lower hub member upon closing of the umbrella; an operating lever (12) movably inserted into said stick (1) so that the top thereof projects from said top hub member when the umbrella is closed; a coil spring (15) disposed in said stick secured at one end to said intermediate hub member (4), and at the other end to a predetermined portion of said operating lever (12) so that when the top of said operating lever (12) is depressed into said stick, the lower end of said operating lever (12) is removably engaged to the lower end of said stick the length of said coil spring upon opening of the umbrella being equal or longer than that of the umbrella upon closing of the umbrella and a plurality of secondary springs (8) each secured at one end to said pivotal points (b) of said auxiliary ribs (6) and stays (7) and at the other end to the lower hub member (5) for providing an opening force of said main ribs.
 2. The self-opening and self-closing umbrella as set forth in claim 1, wherein said operating lever has a top interior and said coil spring is disposed in said operating lever secured at one end to said intermediate hub member and disposed at the other end into said top interior of said operating lever. 